1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of garments, and more particularly convertible maternity garments.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Maternity clothing is generally purchased and worn by women during the term of their pregnancies. A number of different garments must be purchased and worn over the maternity term, which generally lasts about nine months. Though a woman may use non-maternity clothing during the initial stages of her pregnancy, as the woman's body changes, namely, as the fetus develops and grows, special clothing to conform to the woman's body is needed. The maternity clothing generally provides comfort for the woman wearing it. As a woman's body changes during the pregnancy term, a woman may need to change sizes of maternity clothing to accommodate her shape. Maternity clothing generally is costly, and, therefore, a woman may be required to purchase a number of wardrobes, in different sizes, over the term of her pregnancy.
In addition to the cost of the clothing that must be purchased to accommodate sizes as the women's shape changes during her pregnancy, the maternity clothing is designed to be suitable for the period of the pregnancy term. Therefore, after the birth of the child, and, in particular, when a women's body returns to a post-maternity shape, the maternity clothing is no longer used. Many women store the maternity clothing for subsequent maternity periods, such as when having another child. However, the maternity clothing is not used by women after their pregnancy since the maternity clothing is generally much larger and is configured differently than the clothing that women require after their pregnancy term.
Once the maternity clothing is no longer needed after the pregnancy term and after the potential post-maternity period (when some maternity clothing still may be usable), women are no longer able to use for the maternity clothing. This practice of purchasing a special maternity wardrobe or garments for limited use, results in increased expenses for pregnant women, since, they must buy multiple wardrobes that include clothing that a woman may only wear for a short duration, such as, for example, a few weeks or months.
A need exists for a maternity garment that provides both comfort and ease of use during both maternity periods and pre or post maternity periods.